1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for setting a user interface according to user preferences, and more particularly, to setting a user interface according to user preferences, in which the user interface can be set up based on the user preferences and synchronized so as to be used in other devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Users interact with information devices through user interfaces. These user interfaces have structures, and are displayed by software using graphics.
The user interfaces in most devices have such a configuration that they cannot be added to or deleted from by the users. Accordingly, unless user responses and process flow are considered during the design process, inconvenience and repeated loads will occur. As a result, various attempts have been made to improve user interface configurations.
Most devices have their own user interfaces that users must use to operate the device, which is not optimal.
In order to overcome such an inconvenience, some mobile terminals provide functions that allow users to change the order of specific menus or icons.
However, such functions still do not allow the users to overcome restrictions in menu management, synchronizing the user-interface setup among the terminals, and re-using the user interface.
In addition, the user interface configuration is customized information including the frequently used operations and user preferences, and in order to maximize effectiveness should be consistent in devices of a similar category, as well as when carrying out a specific operation.
That is, in the case of the mobile terminal, it is time consuming for the user to have to repeat the same task in order to set up the user interface or transmit the same content.
Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2003-005883 (Method and System for Setting Terminal Function, Terminal, and Program) discloses a method of setting a terminal function to configure a menu screen by downloading a file displaying the menu screen. The prior art relates to a method of transmitting and receiving files necessary for the screen configuration of the terminal from a server, but does not disclose a technique for having each element forming the user interface as a management tree and linking a system through synchronization.